


The Best Kind of Love

by Enonimouse



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Alya Césaire Ships It, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Beta Read, Canon Compliant, Eventual Full Reveal, F/M, First Dates, Good Sibling Juleka Couffaine, Hot Mess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Marichat, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Knows Adrien Agreste Is Chat Noir, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Revised Version, Soulmates, We Are All Alya Césaire, adrienette - Freeform, all fluff and no angst, he loves her, i don't know how many chapters, initial partial reveal, maybe a little bit of angst, skins - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25010917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enonimouse/pseuds/Enonimouse
Summary: After accidentally finding out her superhero partner's secret identity, Marinette decides to take action. But when Adrien can't stop calling her a friend, she begins to lose hope. Then late one night, Chat Noir drops by and drops some knowledge about true love. He has a theory that will throw a certain super heroine for a loop. Ladybug then must decide if she is willing to let Chat know that she knows his identity. Or even let him know hers.Updated/Revised 9/15/20Beta Revision 10/7/20
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 56
Kudos: 241





	1. A Soulmate Theory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A one-sided reveal leads to a late night discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... So I have Beta's now. Three of them. Please give a round of applause to the amazing Gigi_Bug, Khan, and TheQueenBeeGeek who collectively gave this fic a facelift. (Excellent surgeons, each & every one of them). Thank you all!

Just. A. Friend.

Marinette could go a lifetime without hearing that turn of phrase again. Yep, this was it. She had reached her tipping point. She fully expects to burst with frustration the next time she hears her Kitty adamantly friend-zone her, like he had earlier today. If she was completely honest with herself, she was beginning to lose faith in true love. 

Marinette discovered the identity of her Kitty about a month ago. Years of carefully avoiding Alya’s conspiracy theories; refraining from asking Chat anything that might reveal his identity; let alone the grueling process of convincing oneself to stop thinking about a rather peculiar slip of the tongue; It was all for naught. An akuma forced her to come face to face with the fact that one Adrien Agreste and her ‘ultra-suave’ partner—his words, not hers—were one in the same. She really didn’t want to know, but un-knowing was impossible. Subtle nuances were matching up here and there. Such as the ill-timed pun Adrien had let loose the other day or during their fight with Kwamibuster. She distinctly recalled Chat had asked if Mlle. Mendeleiev taught at Françoise Dupont High School. And then, after the battle Chat called Dupont an elementary school. Yeah, that had been suspicious.

“The Incident where one pun-loving cat equaled one handsome friend/model” as Marinette referred to it when she discussed it with Tikki (“The Incident” for short), all started with an akuma battle on a Friday afternoon. Chat recklessly threw himself in front of her to block the attack without a thought for his own self-preservation, again. She could’ve gotten out of the way... His transformation immediately dropped upon impact from the akuma’s blast. He landed hard on the concrete rooftop, knocked out cold. 

During this particular battle, he should have been extremely careful. The victim, upon meeting Chat and Ladybug on top of Montparnasse Tower, promptly proclaimed herself as 'Revealitor'. She announced an unrivaled loathing for the acute frustration that is associated with not having the ‘right’ answer to important questions. To say the least, Ladybug was seething mad at Chat for his carelessness.

In hindsight, Marinette begrudgingly admitted Luck had been on her side. At the same time that Chat went down, Revealitor’s sunglasses were knocked from her face by Ladybug’s yo-yo. They broke upon impact; releasing a dark butterfly up into the air. Ladybug de-evilized the akuma and cast the Miraculous Ladybugs to fix any lasting damage (and to turn Adrien safely back into Chat). She sucked in a breath, pushed aside the new found knowledge of her partner’s identity, and gave in to Chat’s awaiting fist to ‘pound it’. 

Ladybug was reaching for her yo-yo, ready to leave, when Chat nervously asked her if he had revealed himself. The unintended innuendo lingered in the air and a slight blush crept from beneath his mask. Silence stretched on for a moment or two longer than it should have before Ladybug squeaked a quick no. Feeling heat that began to pool in her cheeks, she yelled “bug out” and dashed away.

Several weeks had passed without any indication that Hawkmoth had seen Chat detransform and Marinette was a walking mental breakdown. Every patrol since “The Incident'' Ladybug avoided meeting Chat Noir’s gaze as much as possible. At school Marinette stumbled over her words and feet at an increased rate whenever Adrien was around. After an enormous amount of bedroom mirror pep talks and one exhausted Tikki later, Marinette had concluded that she would adopt her Ladybug persona when she spoke to him as his "good friend Marinette''. If only he could see her for who she is without the butterflies in her stomach urging her to run. Maybe then he would have fallen for the baker’s daughter, not the superheroine. And so, her plan to get Adrien to see the real her was hatched.

Everyone from their class was in on it. Marinette refused to explain. Even Alya wasn’t successful in extracting a reason for Marinette’s sudden change in demeanor. 

Nino started taking bets, assuming the reason would eventually be revealed. Alya bet ten euros that Marinette and Adrien had kissed a few weeks ago—citing a recent uptick in stumblings. They must have talked the day before and decided to date. Obviously “Just-A-Friend” Adrien was covering up their secret relationship. Mylène thought that maybe Marinette had read the latest teen tabloid magazine that made the audacious claim that Adrien had a mystery girl. Mylène was willing to match Alya’s bet. Rose believed Marinette decided to shed her shyness and push through any nerves she felt in Adrien's presence but on principle refused to partake in the betting. Juleka refused to, but mostly because she didn’t feel right about it. She wanted to support Marinette but also she firmly shipped Lukanette.

This last week had been particularly painful for the aspiring designer. Adrien referred to her as his “good friend” at least half a dozen times. 

Earlier today, Mlle. Bustier announced a team project. At the core of the assignment, each team would choose a fairy tale or folk story. They would then create a presentation detailing the different versions, being sure to compare and contrast major differences. 

When Mlle. Bustier finished listing the expectations and asked if there were any questions, Adrien's hand shot straight into the air.

"Can we pick our partners?"

"Of course." Mlle. Bustier replied with a sigh. As expected, the class erupted into controlled chaos as everyone began claiming their partners. Kim shouted from the back that he wanted to partner with Max and in the same breath, turned to Alix commencing the smack talk over who would ‘win’ the assignment first. Adrien turned a hopeful gaze toward Nino who was on the precipice of announcing Adrien as his partner, when he felt a glare aimed at the back of his head. Alya. Nino winced and turned a sweet grin her way.

"Sorry, man. Als and I are going to partner up for this one. Next time." Nino promised with a shrug.

"Don't worry about it, Nino." Adrien began, "I'll just partner up with Marinette here!" Adrien smiled warmly in her direction. Despite the blush creeping up her cheeks, Marinette agreed to being his partner with a smirk on her face and her stutter nowhere to be found... up until Adrien replied "Thanks, Marinette! You're such a great friend!"

Nearly everyone stopped talking after that. Even Chloé and Sabrina quieted down. Kim caught Marinette’s attention and gave her a sympathetic smile from where he now sat next to Max across the room. Nathaniel frowned at the back of Adrien’s head—and he was not the only one doing so. Of course, Adrien was smiling, oblivious to his classmates’ disapproval. As Mlle. Bustier continued her explanation, Marinette’s phone buzzed with words of encouragement.

Alya aka the worlds best friend  
  
He jus doesnt realize tht he <3s u 2, girl!  
  
Keep at it & eventully  
  
he will figure out how awesom u r  
  


NINO  
  
srry about my boy adrien mari... just sorry  
  
  


Rose  
  
He's your soulmate! Don't lose hope!  
  


Nathaniel sent her a single image. It was a quick sketch of Adrien sitting criss cross on the ground smiling. In a semi circle around him stood Chat Noir, Ladybug, and Marinette. The lines of the sketch portrayed the trio dismissively shaking their heads.

Even with the support being a palpable thing in the room, Marinette was starting to feel like she couldn't breathe. Adrien, her Kitty, must not really be in love with Ladybug-her. He loved the ideal, fierce, brave, unflinching Ladybug. Not Awkward and Shy Marinette. She had thought that he was her soulmate for so long now—and maybe soulmates was a childish notion anyway. Soulmates seemed less and less real each time he emphasized to someone her spot as his friend. No room for anything else. Marinette barely escaped the class without breaking down. This was much harder than she had expected it to be.

Later, in the cool night air on her balcony, Marinette once again found herself wallowing in hopelessness. His soft footsteps caught her off guard a bit—he hadn’t visited much recently.

She really didn’t want to talk with him right now. She knew that Chat wouldn’t understand any hostility she might accidentally let slip, so she held her tongue, keeping silent instead. And like many a night before she found out his identity, he quietly walked up to where she stood and leaned on the railing.

They remained in companionable silence for many long moments, Marinette still working through her feelings, and Chat growing increasingly worried at Marinette’s lack of light banter. He playfully bumped his shoulder into hers.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Marinette regarded him thoughtfully, puzzling out how to say what she wanted without creating any misunderstandings. She tentatively began, “I was thinking about soulmates. If they are real or not.”

“Soulmates, huh? Well, let me confirm it for you: they're 100%, without a doubt, real.” He grinned at her.

“But how do you know?”

“Because I’ve already met mine.” He stated plaintively, turning to stare into her deep blue eyes.

“Ladybug?” Marinette guessed. Her voice dripped with disbelief and one eyebrow arched high onto her forehead.

“Yes. Ladybug. Of course, I mean Ladybug.” Chat Noir turned, slightly startled. He quickly schooled his expression into something calmer and more neutral. He leaned his back against the railing, crossed his arms over his chest and bent his head towards Marinette to study her reaction. 

He wasn’t going to say Ladybug. If he had been asked a year ago he would have proudly declared her his soulmate. However, his heart changed. He would always love his Lady, but he had slowly been convincing himself to open his eyes and look elsewhere. Ladybug had been clear that she wasn’t interested in him romantically. 

Chat was on the precipice of confessing. His affections had moved to his Princess. He was also planning on laying down one flirty/suave pickup line; flirting with her was one of his favorite Chat Noir pastimes. However, Marinette inadvertently reminded him that he wasn’t Adrien right now. He couldn’t cross that line with her as his superhero self and he didn’t know how to as his civilian self. Marinette never flirted with Adrien. He distinctly remembered her telling Adrien-him she wasn’t interested.

“How did you know that Ladybug was your soulmate?” She asked, snapping Chat out of his thoughts. Clearly she was hesitant to hear what he had to say. Her tone indicated that she wasn’t likely to believe his impending reply.

“She’s my best friend. I can trust her with anything. And I trust her above anyone else. I can be who I really am when I am around her. I don’t have to hold back. She means so much to me, she makes me a better person, she makes me want to try harder, and she is beautiful both inside and out, strong, courageous, but,” Chat fiddled with his tail, “she doubts herself, she tries so hard to do the best she can and help as many people as she can and… um… I know you’ve heard this all before. But basically, it’s the friend thing. A friend I fell in love with.” 

Chat answered what he had wanted to say about Marinette—his Everyday Ladybug, although he had to admit that when replying, he blurred the two girls together in his mind—the perfect woman.

“She’s your… friend? And that’s why you’re soulmates?” Marinette pondered.

Chat leaned in close like he was about to share a state secret. “Yeah. Don’t you know? I have this theory that the best relationships—the longest enduring loves—they all start with a friendship.”


	2. Awkward Messes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Chat has dropped a bomb of a theory on our girl Marinette, she has to figure out what that means for her and Chat/Adrien/Soulmate? But of course, she has a mental freak out first. 
> 
> Also Adrien starting to freak out a bit too. 
> 
> Now we have two messes. Two awkward messes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... So I have Beta's now. Three of them. Please give a round of applause to the amazing Gigi_Bug, Khan, and TheQueenBeeGeek who collectively gave this fic a facelift. (Excellent surgeons, each & every one of them). Thank you all!

Much to Chat’s surprise, Marinette sprung forward and kissed the corner of his mouth in a brief shocking embrace. He didn’t have any time to react before she retreated. She stumbled backwards, her bright blue eyes widening, and tripped over a flowerpot with a small scraggly seedling. Chat winced as she landed hard. Sitting in a mess of soil and shards of the terracotta flower pot, Marinette began her verbal freakout. 

“Sorry! Um, I just… I.. you were talking about Ladybug.. and you probably think that I’m now some man-stealing person, and I can’t believe I just did that I tried to kiss…! I mean you are Chat Noir right now what was I-I mean HA! Of course you’re Chat Noir! Who else would you be? Adrien Agreste? AH—HAH! No, you’re not Adrien. Why would I try to kiss Adrien? I don’t know anything I shouldn't. Just ignore me. This must be a panic attack. I’m having a panic attack.” Marinette sputtered out.

“It’s okay, Marinette! I’m not mad… er upset or anything. Just surprised! I mean I didn’t realize and I would have… but then by the time I registered what you were… you fell and—Sorry, I’m not helping. It’s really okay, Marinette, just breathe.” Chat coached, kneeling beside her.

He held both his hands out to calm her down with as little contact as possible; He couldn’t risk upsetting her further. Adrien so badly wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms, but that was not allowed. Marinette just said she wouldn’t want to kiss Adrien. And she was panicking about trying to kiss Chat because he just told her that he still thinks Ladybug is his soulmate! 

Of course, it was at that moment that the small voice in his head, one that sounded suspiciously like Plagg cackled. In a mocking tone, the voice repeated Adrien's infamous statement that Marinette was nothing but a friend—just a friend. She would view him, Adrien-him, the same way. 

To say that Marinette was stunned would be a vast understatement. Marinette's brain had stopped functioning. Surprisingly, Marinette was okay with her brain tagging out for a bit. She knew she would have plenty of time in the future to meticulously dissect their conversation. On further contemplation, she wished she had installed the security system her papa had wanted. She had rationalized against it lest her secret comings and goings be revealed. But if she hadn’t turned down the security system she could replay the conversation word for word. Instead, she would have to rely on the memory which already seemed to be fading. Did Chat really just say "enduring love" when talking about Ladybug? Had Ladybug-her really given Chat-him that impression? Could Adrien-him ever think of Marinette-her as a candidate for his enduring love? Wait, is Chat talking right now? What did he just say!? 

"...just breathe." Marinette could do that! Right? Yes, she could do that. She focused on breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. One long, slow, deep, and gentle breath at a time; her brain carefully rebooting and powering back up. 

It was at that moment that she realized she was sitting in a lump of soil. The seedling she’d barely been keeping alive, now a confirmed kill. Its stem lay smushed beneath her heel. Then, her short term memory systems came online and oh boy did they have a heck-ton more to process. Did I just try to kiss…. And then I called Chat Adrien…?!

This may have prolonged Marinette’s need for breathing exercises by more than five minutes. She let Chat’s calming noises wrangle her heartbeat back into a normal pace. I’m okay. I’ll be okay. It will all… be a-okay!

A laugh bubbled up from Marinette’s throat. At first, Chat looked at her like she was insane and honestly, the expression on her face was pretty insane-looking. Soon Chat joined in, a little laugh here and there, and then escalating into the full-blown madness. When Adrien finally opened his mouth to speak, his Chat Noir came tumbling out in the form of a flirty pun.

“Are you falling for me already, Princess?” Chat continued to chuckle, his cheeks tinged a light pink. His hands betrayed the sincerity behind the question; one stretched up behind his head to casually rub at the base of his neck. 

Marinette knew better. But she also knew that she couldn’t mess this up any further than she already had. Her heartbeat kept thundering Chat thump Adrien thump thump. Not allowing her to think clearly let alone act suave enough to answer with a light hearted return-flirt. Her laughter slowly trailed off, giving her enough time to clear her thoughts as best as she could. The reply she thought of was risky. 'And what if I am?'.

In the end, Marinette wasn’t a Ladybug or even a mouse. She was most definitely a chicken. A chicken because the reply she had on her tongue held on, and refused to be let out of her throat. 

Instead, she muttered “Eheh, falling. I get it because I fell after I tried to… ha. Yeah.” Marinette got to her feet.To avoid further conversation, she preoccupied herself by meticulously brushing the soil from her jeans. Yep. She had effectively made this weird again.

Chat nervously cleared his throat. “Anyways, Princess, I should be going… er.. Goodnight, Marinette.” 

Chat slowly walked over to the railing and hopped up, readying his staff. But in a quick mental review of their conversation, in preparation for the analysis that was sure to come later with a reluctant Plagg, Chat stopped himself. Marinette brought up Adrien. Why would she… Why Adrien, unless… she knows and is trying to pretend she doesn’t…? He pondered that for the width of a half a breath. Nah. He’s been careful. There is no way she knows. Ladybug would be upset if he had been anything less than careful with his identity. And with that last look towards Marinette, Chat took off into the dark.

“What did I just do, Tikki?!” Marinette began, flopping herself onto her sun-faded pink lounge chair with a defeated sigh. 

“It’s okay, Marinette. This is new territory for you. Give yourself a break.” Tikki sagely advised as she came to rest in Marinette’s cupped hands.

“He said that he believes soulmates are friends first. He thinks Ladybug is his soulmate. I mean, I knew he had feelings for her, but she isn’t entirely me. Wouldn’t he have feelings for me if… if friends were soulmates? And then if that’s true—why isn’t Nino his soulmate? Or Alya mine? I mean, she’s a really good friend.” Marinette puzzled. 

“But I guess, she is a different kind of friend to me than Chat Noir is… or was before I messed everything up tonight by throwing myself at him after he told me that Ladybug—a girl that he can’t even recognize—is his soulmate.” She finished with a yawn. 

She slowly got up off of the lounge chair and made her way to the hatch, resigning to the knowledge that she had school tomorrow and had to get some rest. Once inside, she began her nightly routine. Tikki followed her, launching into one of her famous pep talks.

“Marinette, you are Ladybug. In every sense of the word. And I don’t think you are giving Adrien a fair chance. You haven’t let him get to know the whole you. When you aren’t transformed, you become… timid around him and when you are transformed you always have the solution so you never rely on him for help, so how is he supposed to know all of you?” Tikki didn’t stop to wait for an answer. “What’s really amazing is that Chat Noir has fallen completely in love with the parts of you that do let him see, and I have no doubt that he will fall in love with the rest if you just let him. Marinette, you already know my thoughts on the situation we’re in. I know you are still figuring things out, but it’s important that you restore balance. He deserves to know.”

By the time Tikki finished, they were snuggled together on Marinette’s bed.

“I know. I know, Tikki. I just need more time. Pleaseeeeee?” Marinette stuck her bottom lip out giving Tikki the saddest most pleading look she could. Marinette wasn’t just a master of her partner's body language, she also knew that Tikki would reluctantly give in by how Tikki’s shoulders slumped a bit and she clasped her paws behind her back. “Thank you,” Marinette breathed, “I promise I will find a way to balance everything out again.”

Unfortunately, Marinette proceeded to toss and turn over the events of the last month until she had a headache. Every few hours she found the lure of looking at her phone to be too hard to ignore. Then, even further challenging, avoiding the simple calculation of how much sleep she could get if she could just turn her brain off within the next three minutes. Eventually, she did end up falling asleep, but it was much too close to the start of the next day to really count for anything.

At 33 minutes after Marinette’s final alarm, Mari finally roused from her slumber. She stumbled her way down the stairs, going from sleepy to panicked by a lazy (then frantic) glance at the time on her phone screen. She had exactly twelve minutes to prepare for school before Mlle. Bustier would reach her name for roll call. She was going to be late. There was no avoiding it. 

Marinette rushed through everything that morning, pulling her hair into the first of her signature pigtails while running up the stairs to her classroom. Another thing she hadn’t had time for was to prepare herself for interacting with Adrien so soon after last night. Rushing into the classroom, she stumbled on the steps up to her desk. Alya shot her an exasperated look and tucked her phone into her pants pocket.

Nino turned around in his seat and gave Alya a meaningful look to which Alya responded by making the universal ‘you’re dead if you continue’ sign across her throat. Marinette was too tired to pry into what that had been all about, but she wasn’t too tired to notice that Adrien’s ears were bright red. Maybe they had been talking about something embarrassing before she arrived? 

Adrien arrived early. Partly because he was always up early and partly because he didn’t sleep last night. The memory of his conversation with Marinette and her sweet laughter echoed in his thoughts. As the first of his classmates started to trickle in, his thoughts had moved on to how he was going to interact with Marinette—especially now after she had kissed him. Well, Chat, but still. He had planned on being very mindful of his words so that he wouldn't let his secret identity slip. Marinette had an analytical mind and would figure him out if he wasn’t careful. 

Alya entered the room and, right away, she spotted ‘Sunshine's thinking face’ as she liked to call it. So she began to pry in that masterful way that only Alya could do (but between Alya and… everyone except for Adrien, it wasn't hard to get him to open up). 

"Good morning, Sunshine!" She greeted him. She was buzzing with the kind of energy that only a night owl like Alya could achieve after consuming coffee with a side of coffee for breakfast. "Are you excited to be working with Marinette on the project? She is a total organizer—plans the whole project out on day one. It will make your life soooo much easier." She ended with a dramatic flail of her arms as she slipped into her seat.

"I can't wait to get started! Marinette and I still have to decide where we are going to meet up to work on it though. I hope we go to the bakery." 

"Ahah!" Alya shouted, a knowing accusatory lilt to her tone. "I knew it!"

"Knew what? That the Dupain-Chengs have the best study snacks?"

"Don't try pulling a fast one on me, Sunshine!"

"Don't try pulling what on who?" Nino asked as he slid into his seat next to Adrien. 

"Your boy here is still keeping up that silly act of his and trying to convince me that he isn't dating Mari. He said that he hopes they work on his project at the bakery. Probably because his dad is so strict and wouldn’t want them like making out all over the place or something."

"We wouldn’t be...Marinette and I aren't… " Adrien began with a gulp, his face beginning to bloom red. He looked to Nino for support.

"I'm not getting in the middle of this. I reserve my right to remain an impartial party, dude." 

"We aren't dating." Adrien finished, his voice cracking. 

"That didn't sound very convincing, Sunshine! Let's say for a moment that I'm wrong and you aren't dating. Judging by the color of your face right now, you want to be, right? Inquiring minds have the right to know." Alya questioned, quickly flipping her phone out and pretending it was a microphone.

"Um… I.." Adrien was spared from admitting his feelings before he had a chance to tell Marinette by Marinette herself. She came crashing into the room, tripping up the steps and eventually landing herself in her seat. He hoped she hadn't noticed him blushing but, knowing his luck, she noticed. It would be difficult not to if the lasting burning sensation in his cheeks and ears was any indication. Adrien resolutely faced forward. His conversation with Alya had thrown him entirely off of his plan on how to act around Marinette. He could feel nerves bubbling up in his stomach.


	3. A Decision is Made

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awkward messes continue because why not? Alya continues to not help. Adrien deals with being in love with his project-partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soo ecstatic! [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug) has been gracious enough to continue beta'ing this fic as I go along. Good thing too because I need it (and the story makes so much more sense now, haha). 
> 
> Thank you for all of your help Gigi_Bug. I would be back at chapter 2 still editing the mess of it all if it wasn't for you!

A minute into class, Adrien’s phone buzzed several times in quick succession against his thigh indicating that he’d received a few text messages. While Mlle. Bustier busied herself with the rest of the morning roll call, he quickly slid it out of his pocket carefully keeping it tucked under the table.

Alya  
  
This convo isnt ovr, Sunshine.  
  
Either u 2 r dating  
  
and u owe me a explanation  
  
or u r mor oblivious than I thought  
  


He didn’t bother sending a response. He locked the screen and slipped the phone back into his pocket. Adrien stared at his hands where he folded them on the desk, as the pit in his stomach grew. He was battling enough as it is—both literally and figuratively, and he didn’t want to add Alya to the list—but also couldn’t see avoiding it. How was he supposed to explain his predicament when he hadn’t been spending time with Marinette as Adrien?

He wished he had Ladybug’s Lucky Charm to get him out of this mess. His feelings for Marinette were growing, and while he acknowledged this now, it complicated things. He wanted to date her. His father wouldn’t agree to it—and if he could be convinced, Adrien wouldn’t put Mari through dating a superhero. Their whole relationship would have to be a secret—maybe even secret from Ladybug. 

He couldn’t risk Hawkmoth targeting Marinette because of him. Of course, he wasn’t even sure if Marinette was interested in him that way. She could have just gotten… carried away in the moment? What if she hadn’t meant to kiss him at all and had stumbled and then freaked out over what it seemed like? Adrien really hoped that wasn’t the case. 

Her lips, for however brief, were warm, soft,and inviting. The feeling of her hands braced against his chest combined with the thumping of his heart was addicting. Except, he lied to her. He wished he had been honest and let her know that those wonderful things were about her. His notion of soulmates was because of her—not Ladybug. 

"Alright class,” Mlle. Bustier began, interrupting Adrien’s thoughts “now in the next few moments we are going to head down to the library to get started on researching your topics. I expect you all to stay focused on the assignment and be respectful toward others in the Library." 

Normally, Adrien would turn around to flash Marinette a smile or a thumbs up. This time he physically couldn't without an undue amount of embarrassment. Ten minutes into class and yet he could still feel the persistent heat of his blush. He remained seated.

Everyone collected their things in preparation for the move to the library. Adrien suddenly felt sick, his nerves twisting and turning in his stomach. He would have to speak to Marinette. And if he couldn't stop thinking about her soft lips on his, how was he supposed to form coherent sentences? Even over something so mundane as their assignment. 

He knew that he should be gathering his things; most of the class had already filed out of the room. Instead, he sat there and stared at his hands. In hindsight, not his smartest move. 

“A-Adrien,” Marinette began, placing one of her small hands on Adrien’s arm, “Are you okay? You don’t look so good…” Marinette didn’t think he looked good? He deflated at the thought. “I mean, you always look good, real good, Ehm, because you're a model. You’re supposed to, I um, not that you have to or that you don’t when you’re not working, uh, except today. I-I just mean, uh, y-you don’t look like you feel well—this morning.” She finished. 

Alya cleared her throat. “Yeah, you’re looking a bit flushed today, Sunshine. Anything making you particularly hot and bothered?” 

Adrien spied the suggestive wiggle of Alya’s eyebrows out of the corner of his vision. He refused to turn his gaze away from where Marinette’s hand lingered. 

He both dreaded and longed for the moment she removed her hand. He enjoyed her close proximity very much—but it also glued him firmly to his seat and made it difficult for him to say anything at all. When he didn’t respond to Alya’s tease, Marinette’s gaze flooded with concern. He could tell she was just about to ask if he would like to go to the nurse’s office. 

He cleared his throat and did his best to deflect. “Ye-Yeah. I’m fine. Thanks for asking, Marinette!” Her hand slipped from his arm and he instantly regretted not doing everything he possibly could to keep it there, like holding it.

“Okay…” Marinette responded skeptically, eyeing Adrien. He was acting weird today. She hoped that being out late last night hadn’t landed him a cold.

"Really, I'm okay. Let's get going to the library." he grabbed his bag and made a beeline for the door. 

Marinette trailed after him, deep in thought. The entire walk down the hall was a bit awkward. Adrien wanted to tell Marinette how he felt about her, but how was he supposed to casually tell a girl he was interested? Particularly without the bravado of a leather mask and the kwami of destruction whispering in his mind? 

What if she rejected him for Chat Noir? What if she rejected him and he asked her out as Chat Noir and she rejected Chat too? What if Marinette was interested in someone else altogether—like Luka? And yet, what if she was interested but didn’t want to cause any stress between him and his father? What if he was allowed to date her openly and she still didn't want to because she didn't want to seem like she got any special treatment in the fashion industry? What if…

Then one of his mother's favorite sayings echoed into his thoughts.

“Adrien, my dear sweet boy, it's better to have a life of ‘oh wells’ than 'what ifs'. Stop worrying so much, little one”, she tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. 

“But, Maman! What if I play the wrong note and everyone laughs at me? What if I forget how to read the music? What if—”

“Nobody is going to laugh at you. It’s a practice recital. Everyone is learning, just like you are.” She interrupted, slowly stroking his forehead from where he has tucked himself against her. 

“B-But Father said that I have to be p-perfect!” A young Adrien’s voice warbled as he nuzzled his head into his mother’s side, attempting to hide his face and any tears that might be falling.

“No, no, my dear. Your Father is just nervous about his collection. Don’t pay him any mind.” Adrien twisted a little and peered up at his mother. She gave him a sweet smile, her green eyes reflecting his own. “Now it’s time to get you tucked into bed!”

The memory faded and left Adrien with a warm smile on his face. If she rejected him, then, it would hurt, but he would eventually get past it—but if he never got the nerve to ask her, then he would regret it. 

So it was decided, Adrien was going to ask Marinette out on a date. He would put his mother’s advice to good use. Don’t pay him any mind. His father controlled enough when it came to Adrien, maybe a little Plagg-like rebellion was what he needed. All he had to do was ask her. 

They were the last two to arrive at the library. By now a low rumble of noise could be heard as the students discussed where to begin on their assignment. Marinette walked straight over to one of the library tables and set her bag down, pulling out her paper and pencil. 

“Okay, let’s plan this out.” She said as she wrote ‘Outline’ at the top of the page. 

“Do you want to split this up? Or we could work on everything together?” Marinette paused, tapping the eraser of her pencil rhythmically against her bottom lip. Adrien found his focus wavering. He wanted to be that pencil. 

“Uh… what?” He stammered. 

“Um. I mean we could split up the work if you didn’t want to…” Marinette lowered the pencil back down.

“No! Let’s definitely be—work together.” Adrien swallowed that thought and continued. “So which fairy tale did you want to do our presentation on?”

“We could do Cinderella? We don’t have to but I know a few different variations. My Maman has told me the version my wài pó used to tell her as a child. And I think I’ve read the German version. Not to mention the French… What do you think?” Marinette began to fiddle with the pencil between her fingers. 

“That sounds great, Marinette!” Adrien exclaimed. 

As they got to work, his mind wandered to last night on her balcony and the decision he had made in the hall. Deciding to ask her out was one thing. But actually forming the words? That was another thing entirely. He had to think of a way to ask her just right. At the right moment. With the right words. Without anyone around in case she rejected him. Or worse, told his father.

Adrien was supposed to be reading through some of the versions they had found. Except, he couldn’t focus. Marinette concentrated on her device, trying without much success to find the Chinese version online. Which meant two things. One, she had her brows pinched together and was chewing on her lip. And two, she was distracting him. 

Adrien couldn’t bear to wait until an appropriate time to ask Marinette out. He had to know now if she was interested. 

“Hey Marinette..?” Out of habit, he reached up and rubbed at the base of his neck.

Not glancing up from her tablet she hummed a reply. Standing just beyond Marinette’s shoulder was Alya, looking through a nearby bookcase. Suddenly, Adrien realized that the table next to theirs had been taken by Rose and Juleka. Mlle. Bustier walked by surveying the room. Chloe was quietly demanding something from Sabrina a few meters away. His classmates were all scattered across the small library, within earshot.

As his gaze fell back on Marinette, he realized that she was staring at him expectantly. He needed to finish his sentence. His mouth dried up and his mind blanked. Her eyes were so piercingly blue. Her black hair beautifully contrasted with her creamy complexion. A blush crept up her face as he continued to stare. It felt like a moment for something big to happen. But he couldn’t deny that if he asked her out here, everyone would know.

Adrien said the only thing that he could think of in that moment “Ah, will you... um… you look really pretty today.”

Her eyes were wide and her blush deepened. “Th-Thank you.” 

Adrien softly smiled at her. Then, bringing his arm back down, he redirected the conversation back to the assignment. Her appreciation of his compliment would suffice for now.


	4. Asking her Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep the praise for [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug) ringing in. I would be nowhere without her!
> 
> I already have Chapter 5 written out and it is undergoing a thorough round of editing. Until I can get through all that - here is Chapter 4. Enjoy ^.^

The school day flew by far too fast for Adrien’s liking. Unfortunately, his day was nowhere near its end. He still had a full schedule ahead of him and after that, patrol. 

As usual, Adrien waited for Alya, Nino, and Marinette to finish packing up for the day. They all walked out of class together, finishing their lingering conversations on the way out. 

Alya rambled on about her newest article for the Ladyblog, something Adrien would normally be listening to. However, as they neared the doors, Adrien spotted a familiar silver town car as it pulled up to the curb. His bodyguard patiently waited in the driver’s seat. Far more concerning, was Nathalie sitting next to him in the passenger seat. A pit formed in Adrien’s stomach. Nathalie only accompanied M. Ezra when something in his schedule drastically changed. It’s never a good sign. 

Marinette noticed first that Adrien had stopped in his tracks. Almost immediately, she took a step back towards him, concerned. Alya made it halfway out of the building before she realized that two of her friends weren’t following. Nino's voice trailed off from outside.

“Everything okay?” Alya called back. 

Before Adrien had a chance to explain that he needed a moment, Marinette answered. “It’s all good. You two go on ahead.”

“Okay… you don’t have to tell me twice. I’m exhausted! See you tomorrow morning!” Alya shouted just before the door clicked shut behind her. She hadn’t seemed exhausted in the slightest. Through the window Adrien could see Alya jogging over to some of the girls, pulling Nino behind her.

Marinette turned to smile at Adrien. He expected her to ask him why he had stopped. Instead, she silently and patiently waited for him; either to speak up or to start walking again, it didn’t matter. 

After several calming breaths, he explained. “I just, I don’t know. I have a bad feeling… Nathalie’s in the car and last time she came along to pick me up from school, Father canceled our dinner plans. I don’t see him a lot as it is and we’re supposed to eat dinner together tonight.” He finished.

“Hmmm… well if that is the reason Nathalie came along to pick you up then you are welcome to have dinner with me—at my house. With my parents. I mean, it won’t just be you and my parents, I’ll be there too. But you can join if you want.” She offered. Marinette could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. “Come on, I’ll walk with you to the car and we can both see what Nathalie wants, together.” Her smile was as sweet as macarons. 

“Thanks, Marinette. I’m probably worried over nothing.”

Marinette inhaled deeply next to him and then grabbed his hand in hers, gently pulling him towards the doors. He would gladly follow her anywhere. They were alone again, he realized with a start. The distance to the doors was closing in. He wasn’t going to waste another perfectly good opportunity to speak to Marinette privately. He needed to ask her if she would go out with him. 

Adrien swallowed hard as he took a second to mentally prepare. His saliva caught in his chest and his eyes watered just a bit. 

“Mm—” He attempted to speak but instead began coughing. Marinette looked at him with worry reflecting in her eyes before releasing his hand and timidly patting his back. 

“Are you okay?”

“I—need—minute.” He continued to cough and choke. 

He wiped at his eyes as the coughing began to subside. Marinette smiled at him. She slipped their fingers together and once more gently tugged him along towards the doors. He tried to say her name a few more times but his voice didn’t sound quite right. It was hoarse and cracked. He had to know her answer. 

He cleared his throat once more. 

“Marinettewillyougooutwithme?” he blurted, turning his face away from hers and screwing his eyes closed. This wasn’t his smoothest plan. While Adrien was hyper-aware that at his words she had dropped his hand, he didn’t realize that she had also stopped walking. Adrien crashed into her and they both went down. Marinette was the padding that had softened his fall. 

“Are you okay?” He asked as he carefully got off of her. They both sat up a bit dazed and bruised. 

In response she started to giggle, “Don’t worry, Adrien. It’d be weird if I didn’t fall over at least once today. Um, wh… uh what did you say?” 

They both wore matching blushes. Marinette turned her head away. She thought she knew what he said but she didn’t fully trust herself to not jump to conclusions. And if she was wrong, she didn’t want to see the look on his face when he realized that she thought he asked her out.

Adrien could hear his blood pounding through his ears. She dropped his hand the first time. Was she about to reject him? Was she giving him an out? A moment to retract his words and avoid embarrassment? He thought about it for a second. Even if that was the case, he had to try. He had to know for sure. “I uh, I was wondering if you would go on a date with me.” 

“I’d love to!!” Marinette’s heart burst with joy.

He did it! 

He asked her out! 

When she realized how enthusiastic she sounded her cheeks colored a deep red. She tried to reign it in. Naturally, she feigned coolness attempting to muffle the excitement rising in her chest. “Yeah, why not? That sounds like fun.” 

Marinette’s smile could pierce his soul. He felt the butterflies in his stomach stir at the possibilities. They were going to go out on a date together. Marinette, one of the most amazing girls he knew, was willing to give him a chance. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized that he had been holding. 

“That’s great. I’ll uh, I’ll text you later and we can figure out when.” He grinned back. Adrien stood up and then offered his hand out to Marinette to help her up off the floor. She graciously accepted it. 

He was tempted to bring the smooth skin of her hand to his lips in a flirtatious kiss as he often did as Chat Noir. She was looking at him carefully, allowing her hand to continue resting in his. It almost seemed as if she expected him to kiss her hand. Which was really weird. Instead, after a moment too long, she dropped her hand back to her side. 

They collected their things from the ground and exited the building. Adrien missed the feeling of her hand in his. She did say that she was willing to go out with him. She had grabbed his hand earlier… would it be too much if he held her hand now that they were going to go on a date? Only one way to find out. 

He reached out swiftly and took her hand in his, interlocking their fingers. Mission successful. Marinette didn’t seem to mind. 

When they reached the car, Nathalie rolled the window down to greet him. 

With a questioning look in Marinette’s direction, Nathalie addressed the two teens before her. “Hello Mlle. Dupain-Cheng. Adrien.”

“Hello.” Marinette smiled. 

Nathalie directed her attention away from Marinette. “Adrien, please get in the car. We have a schedule to follow. Your father is going out of town for a few days and he wants to review the proofs of your photoshoot before he leaves tonight.”

“When is he leaving?” 

“His flight departs at 5:30pm. He has requested a postponement of your dinner meeting tonight. I will look in his schedule and see if I can find an opening later in the month.” 

Marinette gave his hand a small squeeze of reassurance. His father was nothing if not consistent in his inability to eat a family dinner since Emilie disappeared. Surprisingly, Adrien’s gut didn’t twist like normal. It didn’t seem so bad to miss one dinner with his father anymore. Not when he was important enough to have dinner with Marinette instead. And he’d much rather spend time with her. If he was allowed, that is. 

It was daunting asking to have dinner at a friend’s house. He had posed the question to Nathalie a number of times not long after he met Nino and the answer was usually a resounding ‘no’. He stopped asking after a while. It hurt too much to get his hopes up only to be let down by a strict schedule. 

Taking strength from Marinette’s continued presence at his side and their clasped hands, he took a deep breath. He could let himself hope one more time, it was worth it. “May I have dinner at Marinette’s house instead? Please?” 

Nathalie saw this as an opportunity—though her face betrayed nothing. M. Agreste intended to spend the weekend in his ‘lair’. She had just endured a rant from the man himself. Something about a dry spell. It had been awhile since he had found someone ‘worth while’ to akumatize and he was getting antsy. She supposed that by allowing Adrien to go to the Dupain-Cheng household she would have time to assist Hawk Moth as Mayura. And the lure of the transformation was far too great to ignore, even if it came with the possibility of a reprimand.

“Very well. I will make the appropriate arrangements to your schedule. Get in the car, we cannot be late to the photoshoot.”

Adrien lingered outside a moment longer before turning to Marinette. “I will see you in a bit, then.” 

He twisted his grip of her hand until her fingers rested gently across his palm. He tenderly rubbed his thumb over the back of her fingers and was once again tempted to give it a kiss. This time, filled with excitement and feeling the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, he decided to go for it. Quickly lifting her delicate hand, he kissed the smooth skin. A small gasp escaped her mouth as she stared at him in awe. 

He released her hand and reached for the car door without looking away from her. She watched as his hand flitted across the smooth surface of the vehicle a few times before finding the handle. His eyes not leaving hers once. With a grin meant just for her, he slid into the car and shut the door. Through the tint of the window, Marinette could swear that he was still gazing at her. 

“See you in a bit.” Marinette echoed. She was beaming with joy as she watched the car speed off in the direction of his next photoshoot. She savored the memory of his hand in hers for a moment longer before heading home.

When she entered the bakery her maman was at the counter finishing up a sale with one of the regular customers. Marinette waited patiently until the customer had his order before greeting her. 

“Someone had a good day at school.” Marinette’s mother observed. Marinette was suddenly aware of her inability to stop smiling. 

“I did. I was wondering if it is okay if Adrien comes over for dinner? His dad is going to be on a business trip this weekend and so Adrien won’t have anyone to eat dinner with tonight.”

“Of course, the more the merrier. We will be glad to have him.” Mme. Cheng turned away from her daughter and yelled toward the kitchen, “Tom, honey, we are going to have one extra for dinner tonight.” 

M. Dupain lumbered out of the kitchen, his shoulders brushing the door frame. He patted his hands onto his dirty black apron sending up small clouds of flour. “Whose coming?” He asked with a gentle smile.

Marinette piped up, unable to contain herself, “Adrien. He also asked me on a date!” She divulged with a squeal.

She could feel the blush creep up her face as her maman congratulated her and her papa scooped them both up into one of his enormous bear hugs. When they parted Marinette had flour down the front of her shirt. 

“I better go up stairs. I have some homework I need to finish before dinner.” The front bell jingled, heralding a new customer as an oven timer buzzed. Mme. Cheng squeezed her daughter’s arm with a soft smile before leaving to greet the customer. 

“He better treat you like the princess you are!” M. Dupain told his daughter, tears glistening at the corner of his eyes. 

“He will, papa.” Marinette turned to head up into the apartment to change. She chuckled to herself. Chat Noir wouldn’t dream of treating her as anything less than a Princess.


	5. Dinner at Marinette's

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is unprecedented from me - but here is the next chapter (and only a day after the last one). I hope you like it - I had fun writing this whole scene. 
> 
> Thanks again, for lending me the use of your superior grammar skills, [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug)!

Marinette fretted over what to wear while Tikki hovered nearby, trying to calm her down. She still hadn’t decided if she should wear something casual or not. Maybe she should wear one of her designs? 

“Marinette! Dinner is almost ready!” Her maman called up the stairs. 

“Coming!!” She yelled. “Tikki! What am I going to do?”

“Here! Wear this!” Tikki flew over to one of the piles of clothes on Marinette’s desk. She pointed at an outfit that Marinette had created a few months ago. Inspired by her superhero partner, it was a light green off the shoulder t-shirt. Tikki paired it with black high-waisted jeans that had pleather stripes down the sides. 

The shirt featured a black paw print graphic on the front. She had already worn it around the house a few times and it quickly became one of her favorites. It was soft and comfortable. But she hadn’t worn the shirt since she found out Adrien’s secret identity. The jeans had originally been meant for a different design that she hadn’t completed. Together, the outfit undoubtedly gave off Chat Noir vibes.

“I can’t wear THAT! It would be weird.” 

With a sing-song lilt to her voice Tikki ushered Marinette on. “You don’t have much of a choice, Marinette. You need to hurry!” 

Right on cue her mother yelled up once more, “Marinette, you’re guest has arrived!”

Marinette’s eyes widened. She really didn’t have time to pick something else. She snatched the outfit off the pile and begrudgingly threw it on. With a quick glance in the mirror she ran her fingers through her hair taking the ties out. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears as she could hear muffled greetings below. Rushing to the trap door she tripped on a pile of clothes that she had discarded earlier. 

Her papa’s hearty laugh boomed through the floorboards. “Don’t worry, son. I’m sure she is fine. My daughter is made out of some tough stuff. She can handle a few bumps and bruises.”

The reply that followed was muffled. She stood up and straightened her outfit. Then she kicked the pile of clothes out of frustration. Yes, she could handle more than her fair share of bruises but that didn’t mean that she enjoyed making a fool of herself. As she opened the trap door and climbed down she could hear the conversation below much clearer. 

“...inette was such a clumsy baby too. When she stopped using a crib Tom cleared out our attic to make it into a bedroom for her. She was so determined to be a ‘big girl’ that she asked Tom to put her bed up in that loft.” 

Marinette could tell where this conversation was going. Flashbacks of her parents showing her baby pictures to random customers filtered through her mind. She had to stop them before they showed Adrien pictures of her taking her first bath. Marinette almost tripped again in her haste down the stairs to where her parents were on the verge of humiliating her. 

“I was terribly afraid she was going to fall and get hurt. She was always bumping into things and tripping over nothing. When I built those safety rails, she was fuming. You could practically see the steam coming out of her little pudgy face. She was so cute when she pouted.” M. Dupain gushed. 

“I think I have a picture here somewhere—”

Slightly out of breath Marinette reached a hand out to stop her Maman from leaving to grab the family photo album. 

“Maman, isn’t dinner ready? You should go check on that.” She turned to Adrien and gave him a sheepish grin. 

“Sorry about them.”

“No, its-its okay. Um. You look great.” 

“This? Ah it's nothing.” She turned to her father and elbowed him playfully, “Papa got flour on me earlier so I had to change.” 

Marinette didn’t know what to say next. It somehow felt like she had overexplained why she was dressed up. Like she had accidentally drawn more attention than necessary to her outfit. So, instead of being a good hostess, she opted to stand there and awkwardly smile at Adrien. That worked, right? Her maman stepped back into the room to direct everyone to the table and then her papa took over the conversation. Her parents were amazing like that. 

Marinette mused that even if her parent’s baked goods weren’t mind-blowingly delicious, they would still have just as many customers stopping by for the company and conversations. They had a way of easing any tension out of the room. Tension that more often than not, was caused by herself.

Dinner was going wonderfully. Despite embarrassing her earlier, her parents were rather well-behaved. 

That is until the meal wound down. 

Tom leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. “That was delicious, my dear.” He smiled at his wife. Marinette stood up to clear dishes off the table. Adrien jumped to his feet to assist. He had nothing more than an empty plate in his hands before Sabine took it from him and turned to Marinette.

“Honey, why don’t you and your guest go and get comfortable in the living room, Tom and I can clean up here.” 

Marinette wanted to argue. It was easier to clean up. She could act natural when half of her mind was set to a task. She covertly flashed a pleading look at her maman. Unfortunately, the response she received was not the one she had hoped for. Her maman grabbed the dishes from Marinette’s hands and carried them to the kitchen with a hum. Tom collected the remaining plates before he shooed the two out of the room with a small chuckle. 

Marinette’s cheeks colored as her parents started up a conversation just loud enough to be heard in the room over. Sabine was commenting about how they made a cute couple. She definitely said the word ‘wedding’ and Tom began protesting that his little girl was at least three decades away from getting married. 

Marinette was mortified. 

Adrien was staring at her. 

Normally, Marinette could tell what Chat Noir was thinking just by the way he looked at her. In the weeks following her discovery of his identity, she found that she could read his civilian body language much the same. Cat suit or not he was the same amazing and wonderful person. As Chat, he never guarded his thoughts or schooled his expressions around her. And as Adrien, she usually could spot them before he covered them up. But this time, she wasn’t sure what to make of his expression. For the life of her she couldn’t figure out why he would be hiding what had to be embarrassment; Her own embarrassment could probably be spotted from outer space at this point. But something about the way he was looking at her now was unreadable.

Under his scrutiny Marinette could hear her heartbeat begin to hammer in her chest once again. The sound easily drowned out the remainder of her parents' conversation in the other room.

Marinette cleared her throat to break the tension. “D-Do you want to… um play a video game or something?” 

Adrien shook off his thoughts. “What?”

“We can play UMS? I just got the Titan Expansion pack.” 

“That sounds great! The perfect end to the perfect evening. All this night needs is...” He smiled at her. His eyes lingered on her lips for a moment. Leaning in he studied her reaction. She seemed stunned at first, but slowly she stepped closer. Her gaze flitted between his eyes and his mouth. He leaned in impossibly closer. He could feel her breath on his skin.

Whispering, he teased, “Beating you at UMS and avenging my title as the best. The perfect night.” He leaned back with a smirk as he lifted both his hands to rest behind his neck.

Her mouth hung open and her eyes widened. It was obvious that she had been willing… possibly eager?... to kiss him. With a blushing face she stammered her retort.“Y-you. Impossible! You’re the be—I’M THE BEST!”

“That’s right. I’m the best!” He smirked. 

They continued to playfully banter over who would win as they set up the gaming station in the living room. Every once in a while Adrien would catch Marinette looking at his lips. Each time she would blush and refocus on the game as warmth spread in his chest.


	6. Patrol & Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir leaves for Patrol.  
> Odd discussion with LB.  
> Later, a date is set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the world's best beta. Seriously, [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug) is THE BEST. 
> 
> Thank you [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug)!!

Later, after M. Ezra had dropped Adrien off at home, he quickly transformed and left early for patrol. A silly grin plastered to his face even after losing the first six rounds of UMS.

He wasn’t sure how he would approach the subject of him seeing someone else, but he knew he had to tell Ladybug. He also was anticipating that she would have a list of questions for him regarding his ability to keep his secret identity. While he wasn't particularly looking forward to that daunting conversation, it couldn’t dampen his mood.

Marinette reciprocated his feelings. Or, at least, she wanted to kiss him so he thought that she did. Everything seemed to be right with the world.

On his way to patrol he dropped down from the rooftops to stroll along the street for a bit. He photobombed a few tourist selfies, helped a small child find her parents, and even rescued the most adorable kitten from a tree.

He was still fifteen minutes early when he arrived at their meeting spot. In an astonishing turn of events, Ladybug had arrived before him. She was pacing the rooftop talking to herself. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, he even prided himself on knowing when he shouldn’t hear a conversation and leaving the room so he wouldn’t. But his ears perked of their own accord at his kwami’s name leaving her lips. Perhaps his kwami’s bad behaviors were rubbing off on him. Plagg had no reservations listening in on private conversations. In fact, Adrien had caught him on numerous occasions purposefully hiding where he ‘conveniently’ overheard something.

“...Plagg! I still can’t believe those two. Laughing at my situation like I’m not stressing out about everything and-and—Eerrggh!” In her frustration, Ladybug turned around and kicked a chimney. Immediately she winced and grabbed at her foot. Hopping on her good foot while holding the other, she looked up and spotted him on the other side of the roof, watching her carefully. “C-Chat Noir. I didn’t see you arrive. Um… how long have you been…?”

“Not long. Nice night out tonight.”

“Yep. Calming. Very calming.” Ladybug eyed him. She didn’t seem calm. She hesitantly released her foot and straightened.

“Are you… okay, LB?”

“Me? Heh. I’m fine.” Leaning against the chimney she kicked earlier she let out a short and forceful sigh.

“Do you need to talk about something or... someone?” Chat casually grabbed her wrist and tugged her to the edge of the rooftop. She followed willingly. He sat down, his feet dangling over the city streets below.

After a moment of contemplation, Ladybug mechanically sat down next to him, her earlier injury long forgotten.

“Nope. I’m fine—I’ll be fine. Really. Just uh… frustrated...ahh let’s talk about you.”

“Er, okay. Hmm… I do have something I want to tell you.” Chat sucks in a breath, “I, uh... I’m going to go on a date.”

“I know.”

“I know you are probably concerned about my ability to maintain my secret identity but I have a plan—wait, you know?” Chat was confused. He didn’t recall telling her about his date. He hadn’t even worked out the ‘ _when_ ’ bit yet.

Ladybug stared at her hands, fiddling with them in her lap. “I mean, I uh, I assumed. You seem happy today and you’re... young? So, I expected that you’d have a date or something. If that’s all you had to talk about we should probably start patrol.”

“Okay… don’t you want to ask me about it? I mean not about her or anything that would reveal my identity but about other things? Like if I have a plan for an akuma attack while we are out. Or... something?” Chat puzzled.

“Nope. I trust you. Come on, let’s patrol.” Ladybug ended the conversation by grabbing her yo-yo and swinging away.

Chat stood up, stunned. Ladybug _expected_ him to be dating someone? And she had been frustrated… at Plagg? But when was the last time she saw Plagg? The mischievous little kwami stayed within shouting distance when he wasn’t transformed. There was no way that Ladybug talked with Plagg recently. Unless Adrien had been near Ladybug as a civilian long enough for her to have a conversation with Plagg. And that meant that Ladybug might be one of his classmates, or a fencer, or maybe she works in fashion and was at a photoshoot…? Adrien could feel a small headache forming.

He had been near her and didn’t even know it. As soon as that thought landed in his head, it rooted itself. It itched in his mind, but the more he focused on it the worse his head felt.

All of the sudden Chat was shoved forward. His first thought was ‘Akuma’. In one swift motion he swung around to face the aggressor, grabbing his baton and extending it, ready for a fight. But instead of an akuma he found Ladybug. Her blue eyes glared at him. She was a bit out of breath and her face was knitted into a frown.

Drawing her words out to emphasize her point, Ladybug began “Come onnnn!! Let’s gooo!” before bounding off again. This time, Chat followed.

Patrol was uneventful.

By the time Marinette made it back to her balcony, she was both out of breath and completely worked up. She was positive that Chat Noir overheard her. Every time they stopped for a break on patrol he would stare at her for a moment before quickly looking away.

She felt out of sorts. She had just needed a space to vent aloud about the kwamis and their actions earlier that evening.

After Marinette and Adrien had moved from the couch to the floor during their gaming session, she offered to grab her cat pillow from her bed.

She had run up to her room and caught Tikki and Plagg snickering about the whole situation. Tikki was in the middle of an exaggerated impression of Marinette rejecting Chat Noir. Plagg toppled over onto his back from the force of his laughter, wiping tears from his eyes. After a moment he sat up and tried to do an impression of Adrien referring to Marinette as ‘just a friend’.

Plagg chortled “Marinette? Oh! S-she’s ju-st a—” before his laughter overtook him again.

It was then that Tikki spotted Marinette. Tikki straightened up, dropped her smile, and silently urged Plagg to stop laughing.

“What?” Plagg asked. Tikki motioned for him to turn around and his laughter slowly died out.

“Oh, hey Pigtails, I was wondering if you have any cheese I could snack on? Preferably Camembert but whatever you have sounds Gouda to me!” He immediately started guffawing again, holding tightly to his small tummy and kicking his legs in the air.

“Like she’s going to give us goodies now!” Tikki chastised.

That _lovely_ moment between guardian and kwamis coupled with Adrien’s teasing of her earlier had left her emotions swirling. She almost forgot to grab the pillow.

Once she returned, she lost every remaining round they played. She kept thinking about how he knew that she wanted to kiss him. And at how much time they wasted falling for the wrong identity. And only a little bit about how much she wanted to punish Plagg and Tikki.

Adrien may have caught on to some of her thoughts after her interaction with the kwamis. His focus would be on the screen upgrading his mech, and her focus would be on him, marveling at the boy beside her. Then without warning he would look over at her—maybe just finishing a question or waiting for her to make upgrades to her character—and he would _smirk_ at her. Because of course Chat Noir would smirk if he ever caught his princess ogling him. Once he even wiggled his eyebrows suggestively before clearing his throat and turning back to the game with a winning strike.

So she left for patrol early, transforming once she could no longer see Adrien’s town car from her balcony, and set in motion the events that landed her where she was now. Back on the balcony and so emotionally worked up that she couldn’t clear her mind through a nice rooftop run.

Falling back with a flop onto her bed she detransformed. Tikki made herself scarce, probably to avoid apologizing for her antics earlier.

With a sigh she reached for the shelf above her bed. Fiddling with the clasp on her purse, she grabbed her phone out and unlocked it. For a moment or two she pretended that she wasn’t on her phone for one _very specific_ reason. Instead she checked her messages. Then she checked her email for any new commissions. Nothing new. And finally she allowed herself to open up Adrien’s Instagram and scroll through all of his posts.

After an hour or so of scrolling she hit the old stuff. Old enough that she hadn’t scrolled by it a hundred times in the last couple weeks. She was reading a post from a few years back. It must have been posted not long after he became Chat Noir because it was about the new heroes. He went on to say how lucky Paris was to have someone like Ladybug and her heart warmed. One slip of the thumb and she accidentally hearted it.

Her phone buzzed with a text message from Adrien. She flung it across the room with a screech from the unexpected notification. After a moment or two she quickly hopped down from her loft to find it. It had landed next to the chaise and luckily the screen remained intact.

Quietly promising her phone that she didn’t mean to throw it and wouldn’t do that again, while knowing it was a lie, Marinette brought the message up.

Adrien  
  
Are you still awake?  
  


She read and re-read his text message as she climbed the ladder to the comfort of her loft. She briefly contemplated not replying and pretending she was asleep. But he must have gotten the notification on his post so that was a useless idea. Finally, curiosity overwhelmed her urge to hold off on a response. Instead of analyzing why he chose to text her at this hour, she typed out a quick reply and hit send before she could second guess herself.

  
**Marinette:** Yup  
  
**Adrien:** Me too. Having problems getting to sleep tonight. It’s too quiet.  
  
**Marinette:** Oh well you can keep talking to me  
  
**Marinette:** I probably won’t be getting much sleep either... My papa says he was an insomniac before he met maman and that I get it from him  
  


The ellipses appeared indicating that he was typing. Then they disappeared. They flashed once more but he didn’t send anything.

Just when Marinette was sure he had given up on responding, his picture overtook the screen and her phone softly buzzed in her hand. She took a deep breath, gave herself a small peptalk, and hit the talk button.

“A-Adrien?”

“Hey Marinette.”

“Hi.”

“Um… so I was wondering. Do you think you’ll have time to go out this weekend? For our date?”

“I could probably make that work. Are _you_ sure you’ll have the time?”

“Of course. It actually helps that father is out of town. Usually Nathalie gives me a break in my schedule when he leaves. Would tomorrow work? I could pick you up in the morning, maybe 9 o’clock?”

“How are you even alive at 9 am on a Saturday?”

“I don’t know. I guess I’m just used to it. Nathalie’s always got something scheduled for me on Saturdays.”

“But you said that she clears your schedule a bit. You don’t want to use some of that morning time to sleep in?” Marinette settled in under the covers. Deeming it safe due to Marinette’s preoccupation, Tikki silently twisted in circles before cuddling next to Marinette’s head.

“Even if I try to sleep in I probably will still be up before 9 and…” Adrien took a small breath. His heart thundered in his chest in anticipation for what he was planning on saying next. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I promise it will be worth it.”

“Okay. Are we going to go get breakfast?” She could hear him let out a breath he had been holding on the other end of the line.

“Sure, we can grab something at a cafe or I can ask my chef to get something ready?”

“Okay. It’s a date!”

He caught himself smiling in reply. A small chuckle escaped him at his own siliness.

“What’s funny?”

“Oh, nothing really. I was just smiling and then I remembered that we’re talking on the phone and you can’t see me. Anyways, I had a lot of fun earlier.”

“I did too. Even though I haven’t lost that many times in a row in a long time.” Marinette let out a long yawn and snuggled Tikki and her cat pillow.

“Are you getting tired? Because I can—”

“No! No, it’s okay.” Marinette protested. “I want to keep talking.” She softly murmured.

“Good. Because I don’t feel quite so lonely in this big empty house when I’m talking to you.” Adrien laid the phone on the pillow next to his and closed his eyes. Marinette hummed a soft reply. He could tell that she was well on her way to falling asleep.

“Okay, Muffin, I’ll see you at egg-actly 9 am to whisk you away for our date.”

Adrien could barely make out what Marinette said next but it sounded suspiciously like ‘very punny’.

“Donut try staying up too late. I wouldn’t want you to flip out and do something crazy like become a cereal killer on my account.” He could hear her light sleepy giggles. “I like you a waffle lot, Marinette.”

“Silly Kitty…” she murmured, a teasing lilt to her voice.

In his head a thousand memories of Ladybug calling him a ‘silly kitty’ echoed. Something about the _way_ she said it reminded him of Ladybug. A small tempting little thought popped into his head.

“Good night… Princess.” He held his breath, half expecting her to already be fully asleep and unable to respond.

“Mmmmh! Go to sleep, Chat.” came her mumbled reply. He could hear Marinette’s breath even out as she fell asleep. The little snoring noises she made were oddly comforting despite him panicking at what she just uttered.

His headache from earlier returned with a vengeance. She just called him Chat. For a split moment he thought that maybe she was… no. She must have confused him with his alter ego because of the punning. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence for him to stop by her balcony after a long patrol and let loose a few begrudgingly appreciated puns.

He took some deep breaths to calm his heartbeat as much as he could. He quietly repeated her last sentence, letting it become a mantra that eased him into a dreamless slumber.

“Go to sleep, Chat.”


	7. The Date Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette go on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Worship [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug) because she deserves it!

Adrien woke up with a crick in his neck. He stretched in an attempt to ease the knotted muscle. He reached over and grabbed his phone, but was dismayed to find that it had died at some point during the night. He tried to push away the memory of Marinette calling him Chat.

He plugged his phone in and mulled over the half-hearted explanation for last night. It didn’t quite make sense that she reminded him of Ladybug _that_ much by calling him 'silly kitty'. He refocused on getting ready. He had an hour and a half before he had to leave to pick Marinette up. M. Ezra’s workday started at 8:30 on the weekends so Adrien figured that would leave him plenty of time to alert the man to the plan.

He’d spoken with Nathalie after his photoshoot the day before to preemptively clear his schedule. The negotiation that ended with a free weekend cost Future Adrien some precious down time. In hindsight, it was probably one of his more successful negotiations with the woman. She had gone easy on him and Future Adrien would only have to give up a few extra hours every night for the next two weeks. Easy. Especially since it meant he got to spend time with Marinette now.

He quickly dashed down to the kitchen in hopes of catching one of the breakfast assistants to make his request. By 8:42 he had two travel mugs of hot cocoa and was sitting in the back of the car outside the bakery entrance.

But it was too early for him to go in, he didn’t want to seem overeager or get in the way. He really just wanted time to tick by faster so he could see Marinette. He was so excited that he may have pushed M. Ezra out of the mansion a bit too early.

At 8:46 Mme. Cheng rapped her knuckles against his window. He rolled it down with a sheepish grin on his face.

“Marinette is finishing up inside. Why don’t you come and wait for her in the bakery? Let your driver here go find a parking spot. He should be able to find something in the alley behind the bakery.”

Adrien tried to protest. He didn’t want to take up space inside. There had to be plenty of customers vying for a table judging from the number of people who walked in since he had arrived a few moments before. Sabine easily dismissed his protests. She simply told him he could _help_ her with the customers.

Unable to argue with her logic, he got out of the car. When the bakery door opened the bell announced their entrance and warmth hit him. They squeezed through the crowded shop toward the front counter.

Tom sighed in relief and quickly retreated to the kitchen. The customer he had been helping let out a huge belly laugh, and hollered after him. “Come on, Tom! I don’t bite!”

Tom poked his head back out from the kitchen to retort, “Oh, we all know that isn’t true, Simon!” Simon gave another booming laugh as Sabine expertly stepped in to finish the order.

While loading Simon’s pastries into a to-go bag, Sabine directed, “Adrien, you can wash up in the back and put your stuff down on the counter here.”

He did as he was told and returned to the front excited and nervous about helping out. Sabine pointed to a box of gloves and asked him if he would wrap up the orders while she rang them up. All of the desserts were labeled by a small placard facing the back and together they made quick work of the line. When the small rush seemed to die down a bit, Sabine thanked him for his help by handing him a box of pain au chocolats and told him to head up to the apartment.

He grabbed the two hot chocolates, taking a sip of his to check that it was still warm. Then he climbed the back stairway to their living room. He wasn't really sure where Marinette was or what he should do with himself while he waited. He opted to stand awkwardly near the couch which afforded him a good view of the stairs that led up to Marinette’s room.

By 8:59 Marinette stumbled down the stairs. She was wearing a white summer dress with beautiful hand-stitched pink tulips on the hem. Overtop she wore a black leather jacket and a thin red scarf. He was surprised to find that instead of her signature pigtails, she had pulled her hair into an intricate braid that rested over her shoulder.

"Good morning, Marinette.”

"Hi. Uh G-Goodmorun-ing. Good morning." She stood at the bottom of the stairs. Using the banister for balance, she dragged her toes across the top of her other foot and wiped at her eyes.

He grinned. Marinette looked beautiful and her special brand of sleepy and flustered greetings were endearing. Marinette’s eyes shied away from his and she bit her lip. Adrien didn’t know what to say next and it showed. He rocked back and forth on his toes and then bounced a bit. He had woken up this morning with so much nervous energy he was astonished to find it had only grown.

“Whatcha got there?”

“What do I…? Oh, these?” He held up the box of pain au chocolats with the two hot chocolates resting precariously on the cardboard lid. One of them began to tip backwards and he quickly hugged the box to his chest to keep it from falling.

“These are for you! Well, the left one is. And then we can maybe share the pain au chocolats? If that sounds okay. Alya had said something about you liking hot chocolate the other day and so I thought that it would be a good way to start our date. Not that it wouldn’t be good without them. Just, I don’t know, better?” Adrien shifted on his feet again. The back of his neck itched and he wanted to reach up and scratch it but his hands were still full.

“That’s what’s in the cup. I had my chef make a couple. I’ve already tried mine and it’s really good. Well maybe not as good as you're used to. But anyways. I hope you like it.” He paused for a moment before adding, “And then your maman gave me the box after I helped her with some customers.”

Marinette hummed a response as she walked over to him. She grabbed both cups off the top of the pastry box. She brought the cup in her left hand up to her lips.

“No that one! Sorry, my left… so the one in your other hand.” He gave her a sheepish grin and used his free hand to finally scratch the itch on his neck.

Her cheeks colored as she stared at both cups. Then she eyed him before taking a big swig out of her hot chocolate. She leaned over and set his cup down on the coffee table. Adrien flipped open the lid on the pain au chocolats and let the smell waft up to his nose. He plucked one out and bit into it. He couldn’t stop himself from letting a small moan escape his throat. Chocolate mixed and melted with a wonderfully delicious note of raspberry.

Marinette selected one for herself and tore a piece off before eating it. They both finished their croissants in silence, neither sure what to say next. Marinette grabbed the box from him and briefly darted out of the room to throw it away.

When she returned, Adrien was back to rocking on his feet. “Are you ready?” He asked as he fidgeted with the cuff of his overshirt.

"Almost I just have to put my boots on and then we can get going!" She rushed past him to a small closet next to the back door and grabbed out a pair of black knee-high boots. She quickly slid them on.

Then she walked over to him and with a bright red blush on her face reached for his hand. He gladly offered it up and she entwined their fingers.

"Now I'm ready." She grinned. He couldn't help but return her smile with his own ridiculously happy one, the awkward silence from earlier completely forgotten.

"Alright let's go!" They grabbed their hot chocolates and Marinette hollered goodbye down the stairs to her parents. She whispered conspiratorially that if they didn’t leave right away her papa would find a moment to embarrass by insisting on taking a few dozen commemorative pictures. They left out the back entrance.

Adrien had debriefed M. Ezra on the way over. The gentleman silently agreed to remain at a distance that would be both acceptable to Adrien but also allow him to intervene should anything happen.

So while Marinette and Adrien walked hand in hand along the shopping district streets, it almost felt like he was a normal guy lucky to be on a date with an amazing girl. But he could still see M. Ezra out of the corner of his eye, a constant reminder that he wasn't free even if he was deliriously happy.

They were still holding hands an hour later when Marinette tugged Adrien over to the window of a particularly fancy shop, Couture du Jour. Her eyes lit up as she began to launch into a one-sided conversation about the designer of the outfit on display. Her enthusiasm was endearing.

"...And you see how the designer chose to add gems in the ruffled sleeves? I designed a whole book of outfits inspired by this one blouse. It’s just so beautiful!”

“If it inspired you that much, I could buy it for you? If you want?” Adrien offered.

“Oh no, no no. That would be too much. You don’t have to buy me anything.”

“Hmm… well maybe I want to get you something.” He stopped to survey the window of the shop with intent. “How about that necklace and earring set over there?” He pointed to the other side of the store entrance.

Nestled on a black velvet display was a small blue gem necklace that almost rivaled her eyes. Next to it sat two smaller stud earrings with the same beautiful blue gems. Adrien could just picture her wearing them; the necklace draped delicately across her décolletage and the earrings mirroring the brightness of her eyes. Marinette’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Her mouth flopped a bit and small noises escaped, but she couldn’t form anything coherent.

Adrien interpreted that as a ‘yes’ and pulled her into the store. She snapped out of it as soon as they passed over the threshold.

“No, no, Adrien! That’s more expensive than the blouse! And besides, I don’t really wear jewelry.”

He gave her an incredulous look. “That’s not true. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without earrings.” For a fashion designer, it was actually kind of unusual that Marinette didn’t wear much jewelry. He wondered for a split second if it had to do with money. Certainly plain earrings were cheaper.

“That doesn’t count! These are special earrings. I mean they’re special to me. Um… b-because… uhh… you see my-uh my… well a family friend gave them to me and uh, then he moved away. Far _far_ away.”

Adrien was going to ask who. He’d be remiss to say that her words didn’t spurr something ugly and jealous inside of him. But something about her expression told him not to ask. She had dropped her head and was staring firmly at the sidewalk. Her fingers twisted the sleeves of her jacket around her wrists. After a moment she looked back up at him and he knew. Even if Marinette liked this guy so much that she still wore the earrings he gave her, it didn’t matter. She was on a date with him. This other guy missed his chance. It was Adrien’s turn.

“Oh. I’ll just get you the necklace then!” He teased with a grin. Then he pulled her to the counter where the disinterested sales representative stood. She was popping her gum and staring at her manicured nails.

“Excuse me, Mlle.” Adrien began. Marinette tugged at his arm trying to pull him away from the counter and back out of the store.

“Noo.” Marinette whined. He was having a hard time repressing his laughter at Marinette’s adorable antics to get him to leave. She was now at nearly a 45 degree angle from the floor, held up only by the tension in his arm and his refusal to budge. The woman behind the counter shifted her gaze to Adrien and then to Marinette. She huffed out a sigh before dropping her hand back down to her side.

“Yes?” Her voice oozed disdain.

“I was wondering if I could see that necklace on the display over there?”

“It’s fragile.” She flicked her eyes up and down him as if assessing if he could afford to touch it.

“I know.”

“And expensive.”

“Of course.”

“It comes with earrings.” She drawled.

“I-I uh only want the necklace.” He quickly glanced over at Marinette for confirmation but she was too busy switching tactics. She was now trying to pull him by his torso and having a hard time getting a grip that would still give her the same leverage as before. She was surprisingly stronger than he’d given her credit for. If he had been anyone else, she would’ve knocked him over.

“It’s a set.”

“She’s already got earrings.” Adrien tilted his head towards Marinette. “But,” he loudly declared, “It would really bring out the color of her eyes, don’t you think?”

The store clerk huffed.

“ _If_ you can afford it, it comes with the earrings.” At this, Marinette straightened up, abandoning all previous efforts to physically pull him from the premises.

“See?” Marinette interjected. “You shouldn’t buy it. It’s fate! Let’s go.”

With a little tilt of her head toward the door, she grabbed his wrist and silently pleaded her case. He let her tug him out of the door and back onto the street. He didn’t hesitate to reclaim her hand as they crossed the street, giggling at the situation. He made note of the store name, committing it to memory. He would have to go back when he had the chance and buy it for her.

M. Ezra tried to keep his promise and stay at least half a block away, as he watched as the two kids animatedly talked. He kept a trained eye on the entrance of Couture du Jour when the two kids went inside. He knew the owner was an interesting fellow who had a few business dealings with M. Agreste, so he wasn’t too worried about following them further.

It was an amusing scene playing out before him. Marinette pointed at something in the window, and then Adrien pulled her inside. But what really got M. Ezra chuckling was when the two came out. Marinette was now the one pulling Adrien behind her and neither had any bags. Adrien had been smiling and laughing loud enough that M. Ezra could hear it from his vantage point. M. Ezra hadn’t seen the boy this happy since before Mme. Agreste’s disappearance. He couldn’t help himself by sneaking a few pictures. Even from the distance he took them, Adrien’s joy was clearly evident. He hoped that Adrien kept this girl close. Her ability to lift his spirits was unrivaled.

As Marinette and Adrien walked, they exhausted nearly every topic they could think of. From UMS to school, to Alya and Nino. Marinette carefully avoided the subject of Ladybug. If school lunches were any indicator, Adrien could hold a conversation about Ladybug for at least twenty minutes. And the prospect of talking about her alter ego for the better half of her first date with Adrien was less than stellar.

Around 11am they reached a small cafe along the Seine and ordered some food. The conversation drifted inevitably towards the superhero pair when a young girl ran by their table wearing a black, cat ear headband and holding a stick painted to look like Chat’s baton. A little boy hot on her heels. He was wearing red sweatpants and a red t-shirt with black construction paper circles taped onto it, half of them in the process of falling off. A few left a scattered trail of where he had last been.

The two children giggled and laughed as adults from a nearby table kept an eye out, chastising them when they got too loud or when their tools got too close to hitting other patrons. “Agatha, come sit down!”

“My name isn’t Agatha, it’s Lady Noir!” She complained from where she stood next to Marinette’s chair.

“Okay little Lady Noir, come sit down and visit with Aunt Grace and I. Bring Benjamin with you.”

Agatha turned to the boy that had been chasing her and reached for his hand. “Come on Mister Bug, the civilian’s request our presence!”

Benjamin reached for Agatha’s stick and this time, she let him take it. He gripped it tight, totally mesmerized by the stick and let her guide him over to the table. By the time they made it over to the adults, little Benjamin had stuck it in his mouth and was gumming it.

“It’s amazing how much of an influence Ladybug and Chat Noir are on the city.” Adrien marveled.

After a few minutes another adult came out of the cafe holding the hand of an even younger girl. She was dressed in orange and also had a stick. They walked over to the table and all of the adults cooed at her as she excitedly babbled about “Ena Ooge”.

The waiter's presence with their food snapped them out of the scene playing out across the cafe. Before he left to help attend to other patrons Marinette quietly thanked him.

“So who is your favorite superhero?” Adrien asked with a sly grin on his face. He had overheard Marinette singing Chat Noir’s praise last week to Alya and figured he had the cat in the bag, pun intended.

Marinette protested, “I don’t have a favorite. They are all amazing and picking favorites is childish.”

“Oh, come on. You gotta have one you like just a bit more than all the others.” He shot back.

“Mayyybe.” She teased.

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Adrien leaned back and took a sip of his drink.

“Well that’s not much of an incentive. I already know you’re going to say Ladybug. You talk about her so much!” Marinette emphasized her point by her exasperated expression.

“I do not! Besides. She isn’t who I was going to say.”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Really?”

“Yes really.” Adrien had to think on his feet. Ladybug’s name had rested on his tongue a moment before and was now no longer an option. “R-Really. Y’see, I know about a secret superhero.” Adrien didn’t mean to say that. He really shouldn’t be talking about other heroes, and especially ones that weren’t well known.

“Secret?” Marinette echoed.

“Y-Yeah. One that nobody else knows about except for Ladybug and Chat Noir… and me. Of course.”

Marinette’s next words caught in her throat. He wasn’t going to talk about Aspik, was he? She gulped down some of her water; sputtering and coughing for a moment before resuming their banter with blatant disregard for the pit in her stomach.

“Uhuh. Then who?”

“I’m not going to say until you tell me who your favorite is.”

“How do I know you’re not just saying that to get me to reveal who I like best?”

“Ya gotta trust, Mari.”

“Okay, fine… the superhero that I like a little teeny tiny bit more is…”

“Go on!”

“SUPER hot in a superhero suit. Like hands down, the hottest of all of the superheroes.”

“You can just go ahead and say his name.”

“ _His_ name?” Marinette feigned innocence, dropping her head to the side.

“You’re talking about Chat Noir, right? I mean, who else could it be. I’ll admit it, he’s hot.” Adrien couldn’t stop smiling if he tried. He could feel Plagg laughing against his chest through his shirt pocket. Their light banter easing him into his Chat Noir confidence. It felt right, talking to Marinette this way. Familiar.

“Oh no… no no… honey!” Marinette emphasized, “I wasn’t talking about Chat Noir. I was talking about Rena Rouge! She is absolutely stunning in orange and I totally wish we got to see more of her. If she wasn’t so obviously taken by Carapace then… well, it’d be hard to not ask her to hang out. So, who's your favorite?”

Adrien’s jaw had unhinged from his skull and was now resting on his lap. On the tip of his tongue the words, ‘you wound me, milady’ almost spilled out in jest, but one thought brought everything to a flying halt. Why did he want to call Marinette ‘milady’? It was his special name for Ladybug, Marinette was Princess.

_Princess._

_Princess._

_“Princess_.”

“Her name’s Multimouse. Chat Noir told me all about her. Almost all. He said even though Ladybug doesn’t want to call on her talents again, that she was absolutely amazing. And that if it was up to him, he’d lean on her in a heartbeat. She is super smart, like Ladybug-Smart…”


	8. The Date Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens... I'm bad at summaries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out and sorry it's a bit on the shorter side. Hopefully the ending content makes up for it. And I promise the next chapter is already written and had it's first draft of edits. 
> 
> As always, thanks to [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug) for all her hard work!

Marinette was flabbergasted and she could feel her cheeks heat at all of the flattery. She definitely didn’t expect to hear Adrien... singing her praises… or well, Multimouse’s praises.

Chat Noir was the only person who knew about Multimouse and since Adrien and Chat are one in the same... Adrien indirectly complimented her. Except… He doesn’t know that she knows he is Chat Noir so he also doesn’t know that she knows that he knows who Multimouse really is… right? Unless Mlle. Mendeliev saw Multimouse detransform. But that wasn’t likely. Akuma victims were always confused after Hawkmoth’s attack. Most couldn’t recall much in the aftermath if anything at all. All of this was starting to become impossible to track. She itched for her sketchbook so she could map out how she should react to this. How did he expect her to react to his confession about Multimouse?

“...and she’s so adorable. Whether she is two centimeters tall or full height. Well, anyways. She’s my favorite superhero.”

Marinette decided to play along and pretend that she had no idea who he was talking about. “Multimouse, huh? How come I’ve never heard of her?”

“B-because she is super special. Only for extreme situations. Or at least that’s what Ladybug said.” After a brief pause Adrien added, “To Chat Noir. That’s what Ladybug told him, anyways.”

“Well thank you, I guess. For letting me in on the secret.” Marinette fiddled with the remains of her sandwich. Then she glanced up just in time to see Adrien grab a small wedge of cheese from his salade composée and slip it into his shirt pocket.

Because she knew his secret identity this didn’t strike her as odd behavior. Since becoming a holder, she often found herself slipping an extra cookie into her purse for Tikki. Marinette wouldn’t have commented on his actions had it not been for Adrien glancing _at her_ at the same time to make sure she wasn’t watching.

Their eyes connected and Marinette didn’t react. She really should have. Any normal person would have found it weird that their date was sneaking cheese into his pocket. Her lack of a reaction spurred an amusing overreaction on his part. It wasn’t often that Marinette got to experience being on this side of an over explanation.

“Hah, you’re probably wondering why I put that cheese in my pocket. Well, it’s um. It’s for later. And I didn’t use a napkin because… my pockets are exceptionally clean so I don’t need one. You know, maid and all. Not that I can’t wash my own clothes. Just I don’t have to. But I don’t get them dirty and so it's okay. The cheese won’t ruin anything. And it’s good, you see? I read that it can be good for your heart and um… your teeth. Isn’t that weird? I’m just… getting full. Is all. And the cheese is the best part. I uh, I should have eaten it first.” Adrien bit his lip to keep himself from babbling more. His explanation was getting worse by the second.

He was glad that a few weeks ago Plagg had made the same argument. Plagg had gone on a ‘bender’ and ate through his entire back up cheese supply and whatever he found in the refrigerator down stairs. Then he had the gall to threaten Adrien for more. When that didn’t work, he switched tactics to bribery and finally landed somewhere around a bet.

Plagg claimed that not only was cheese good for bones—a given—but also for teeth, the heart, any part of the cardiovascular system really, and it also had vitamins. But Adrien had heard a different story his whole life. Cheese was not good for you. His nutritionist had been saying as much to him the week prior when she had caught Adrien buying camembert at a local shop. Adrien ended the night distrustful of his nutritionist, down 50 euros in specialty cheeses, and with more knowledge about its benefits than he ever wanted to know.

Of course, _now_ he was able to use that knowledge to his defense. Except maybe it wasn’t such a good thing. He should have just said something about the calcium. Only a true cheese freak like Plagg would know the rest.

Adrien nervously played with the condensation on his glass. He was being weird. Marinette probably thought he was a cheese freak.

Why would she want to go out with a cheese freak? She was going to say that cheese stunk and even if it was healthy it shouldn’t be loose in your shirt pocket. She would tell Alya and it would become a class joke; the model who pockets spare cheese. Maybe it would end up on Instagram and of course one of his fans would pick up on it. His father would be terribly disappointed in his cheese freak son and other models wouldn’t want to do photoshoots with him. Then Marinette would pretend not to know him in the halls and—no.

The condensation from his glass left his fingertips wet. He rubbed his thumb over a bead of water on his finger.

Marinette would never do any of that. She was too kind and compassionate to belittle someone for one of their quirks. It was part of what made her so amazing. She might still find him a little weird though. He chanced a glance at her and found her smirking at him. What an odd reaction for her to have...

Marinette watched as his green eyes flicked up to hers from where they had rested on his drink the moment before. Of course she knew her kitty well enough to know that he put on airs of confidence. He had to be anxious right now. So she gave him the Ladybug look. She wasn’t sure she would be able to describe just what the Ladybug look was if she had to. She just knew that it conveyed to him that he wasn’t alone. That she would always be right by his side even if he was acting a little absurd.

And under her breath she couldn’t resist whispering ‘silly kitty’.

It was what she did. He spiraled, she gave him the look, then she called him a silly kitty. Because that is what he was being and that is what he needed to hear. He did the same for her when she was overthinking and beginning to freak out.

They stared into each other's eyes from across the small cafe table. Each contemplating their own internal conflicts.

Adrien was panicking. He could have sworn in front of a jury that she just mouthed ‘silly kitty’ at him. And that _look_. That was Ladybug through and through. What if she was…? It wouldn’t be the first time the thought crossed his mind.

He reached up and rubbed his temple a little. The sun was now in his eyes and he was starting to get a headache.

They had the same build and same hair. The same piercing blue eyes… But Marinette couldn’t be Ladybug. She was Multimouse. And he couldn’t refute what he had seen, Ladybug and Multimouse standing next to each other, conversing. And Marinette detransforming too soon.

The two ladies could have been twins if Marinette hadn’t been an only child. Maybe she has a cousin—but he needed to think of something else right now. Ladybug was adamant that their secret identities remained a secret. And besides. He’s on a date with Marinette. He should be enjoying it and not trying to piece together his partner’s civilian identity.

To Marinette, it felt like a bit of a challenge, the way he was looking at her. It felt like it was the moment to tell him that she knew. The thought of keeping her sweet kitty in the dark any longer ate away at her. She didn’t have the right. He deserved to know. She had to tell him the truth. All of it. To restore balance. She had to… but...

She wasn’t ready.

She couldn’t imagine ever being ready. How could she tell him that she knew both sides of him? That she loved both sides of him completely and fully? How could she reveal her true feelings like that? Maybe she would never be ready unless she tried.

So she began to form a plan.

It was time.


	9. Interruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette & Adrien's date is interrupted by a waitress and—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I think my chapter summary is hilarious. (Was I the only one?)
> 
> Who loves the world's greatest beta, [Gigi_Bug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gigi_bug)? ME! That's who!!

A young waitress approached their table with a large brown tray balancing on her shoulder, water from the singular pitcher on the top spilling over the sides. She nervously said hello, disrupting the moment. She lowered her tray and rested it on the edge of the table. She used the pitcher to refill their glasses and then set it down on their table.

“I am so sorry for the delay! Have you been waiting long?” She questioned.

“Delay? Um, no not at all, we’ve just been enjoying our delicious food.” Adrien politely smiled at her.

A couple holding hands and walking their dog passed by the window.

“Oh, you’ve already been served!” With her free hand, she reached up and smacked her forehead. “Of course you’ve already been served. That’s why you have plates in front of you. I’m so sorry! I’m not the most observant, apparently.” She giggled. “Anyways, I’m Iva. Today’s my first day and I’m still trying to learn everything.” Iva rested the tray on her hip.

Marinette began to assure her that it was no problem at the same time as Adrien.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We’re fine. No need to apolo...” Marinette began.

“Take all the time you need. I definitely don’t want today to go by any faster.” Adrien blushed when Marinette’s words trailed off. Then, he turned to address her. “I’m having a really good time.” He grinned inciting Marinette to hide behind her hands.

“Marinette, are you okay?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath and dropped her hands. “Yup. I am a-okay.” She said as she stretched her face into an awkward grin. At the same time, Marinette brought her hand up to give him a thumbs up in front of her face but her elbow knocked into Iva’s tray and sent it clattering to the ground.

Iva picked it up and brushed it off with her hands. “You two are so cute! Are you on a date?”

“Yes!” Adrien beamed.

Their waiter came over to the table and cleared his throat in dismissal of Iva. She scuttled away and then quickly returned to grab the pitcher of water. Some of it sloshed onto the floor and the waiter sighed in exasperation. “Sorry! Oh my gosh. I am so sorry, Antoine!”

“It’s okay. Just be sure to mop it up. We wouldn’t want any more accidents.”

“Oh! I have just the thing!” Iva twisted around and set the tray and pitcher down on a nearby empty table. She proudly produced a well-used washcloth from the waistband of her apron. She dropped to the floor and soaked the water up, then set the drippy washcloth on her serving tray.

“It was nice meeting you!” And with that she left.

Antoine cordially asked if there was anything else they needed. When they both responded ‘no’, he left the bill beside Adrien before moving on to another customer.

Adrien reached for it at the same moment that Marinette had stretched her hand across the table to pick it up.

“I got this. My treat.” Adrien politely said as Marinette held tight onto her end of the small leather booklet.

“No, I’m a modern woman. I pay for my own meals.” She countered.

One of the cooks stepped back inside from his third cigarette break since Marinette and Adrien were seated. A large man at another table snapped at Iva when she refilled his coffee.

“I invited you so I will pay for this.”

“But I’m fine, it’s okay. I can pay for my part.”

“Please?” His eyebrows pinched together and his mouth hung slightly open in what Marinette thought was a very cute expression.

She released the billfold. Adrien excitedly captured it, slipping his bank card into the small slot. He flipped the book closed with a triumphant grin. “I don’t get to do that often.”

Her eyes slid past him once again to land on his bodyguard. The gentleman had been shadowing them all morning.

Marinette was attempting to acclimate to purposefully being followed. It was not easy. She couldn’t quite shake the habit of scoping out her surroundings she had perfected from her time as Ladybug.

M. Ezra had looked exhausted earlier. She noticed the way he screwed his eyes shut and then blinked them open before rubbing them. He would roll his neck side to side and yawn. So when she convinced Adrien to stop at the cafe, she caught M. Ezra’s grateful nod.

This time, however, she could only spot his large form past an argument between Iva and the customer from a moment ago.

Iva gripped her pen and tried to take large gulps of air to calm herself. In a thick italian accent, the customer she was dealing with continued to argue over his bill. He was raising his voice louder and louder, drowning out every attempt Iva was making to placate him.

Adrien tapped his fingers over the edge of the leather booklet, nervous energy radiated off of him as he listened to the growing commotion. The entire cafe seemed to quiet as more customers stopped their own conversations to watch. The only sound left aside from the angry customer’s yelling was a buzzing from the kitchen and Benjamin’s toddler noises.

Marinette understood the urge to stop the situation from escalating all too well. However, social etiquette and a lack of her superhero outfit kept her from speaking up. It wasn’t until she spotted a black and purple butterfly making a beeline to the situation that she took action. Adrien took his cue from her and followed close behind in case he needed to protect her.

M. Ezra had gotten up a moment before and was already at Adrien’s side. With his arm, he shielded Adrien from the butterfly, despite it showing no interest in his charge. It flew past, heading directly for Iva’s pen and order pad as she held back tears.

“—non pagare una ‘ _re-fill_ ’!”

“Monsieur, um S-Sig-nor? Per f-favore, calm down! I think I can take the item off the bill?” Iva cowered.

Marinette gently rested her hand on Iva’s shoulder. Iva turned towards her with relief.

Marinette started to clear her throat to address the angry customer. But the butterfly switched targets to the bill clutched in his hand.

Iva’s eyes widened with terror and she froze in fear. Marinette pulled her out of the way. Malevolent purple magic bubbled over the customer. When it vanished, he was wearing hard white armor that resembled a robot. His right hand, which had previously held the bill, morphed into a weapon Marinette couldn’t identify. It had a long thin slit right in front of where his fingertips should be.

Hawkmoth’s voice hummed into the room, too muffled to understand, but ominous. The akuma nodded his head once.

“I am Contonio and I will stop tourists taken advantage! But first, Signor Hawkmoth wants things from Supereroi! Signorina Coccinella e Signor Chat Noir, dove sei? Where are you?” Contonio looked around the cafe through his massive helmet. He zeroed in on the two small children dressed as the superhero duo.

“Per favore, hand over your Miraculous!” He stretched his left hand out towards Agatha and waited.

She slipped out from behind her mother’s arm and ran closer to Contonio. Brandishing her green and black stick like a sword she said, “No! I will not.”

Contonio raised his right arm and aimed the weapon at the little girl. “You hand over il Miraculous to adulto, piccola ragazza.”

“Agatha, run!” Her mother cried out.

Agatha fixed a determined look on her face and gritted out, “I’m not Agatha. I’m Lady Noir! And this akuma needs saving!” She stood her ground firmly.

“Lady Noir? This is not name of il Supereroi!” Contonio scratched at his helmet before realizing that he couldn’t itch his brow with the suit on.

A glowing butterfly symbol appeared over his helmet. Hawkmoth’s voice rang out with annoyance.

Contonio muttered a few choice italian words before replying. “No! No Supereroi girl or boy dressed as un gatto nero.”

Adrien used this distraction to duck under M. Ezra’s arm and run over to Agatha. He scooped the girl up in his arms. “Lady Noir, I need you to keep the civilians in the kitchen safe while I go find Mister Bug so he can help the akuma, okay?”

Agatha twisted in his arms and when she couldn’t break free, pouted against his neck. “Okay…”

Channeling Chat Noir, he grabbed Marinette by the wrist and began to pull her towards the back of the cafe. His heart was pounding fast in his ears and all he could think about was getting everyone out of this safely. He would have to find somewhere to transform. He hoped that Ladybug was nearby so she could handle the situation while he figured out what he could do.

“Marinette, take Agatha and hide in the back!” But Marinette spotted her purse still slung casually over the back of her chair a couple meters away. She cursed her carelessness earlier and refused to be pulled along. If she could just reach her purse and then find somewhere to transform.

“My purse!”

“You can grab it after Ladybug’s Miraculous Cure! Take her and get to safety now!” Worry laced Adrien’s features as Contonio began to shoot a continuous roll of receipt paper from his right hand in the direction of Benjamin and his parents. It flicked past the family—now huddling behind a cafe table, using it as a shield—before solidifying against the wall harmlessly.

“Mio Dio!” Contonio cried. “Come controlli questa cosa?” He muttered as he whacked the device a couple of times and it spit a few more lengths of paper out at his feet.

Hawkmoth’s voice yelled out from Contonio’s armor clear enough to resound in the small cafe. “No! Don’t do that you idiot!”

Contonio ignored the voice and gave the device one more good whack. It immediately began to shoot out a constant spray of receipt papers.

Contonio muttered under his breath, “Sembrava funzionare, no? Non sono un idiota.” Before he aimed it at Marinette, Adrien, and Agatha.

They dashed around the corner into the back room. It wouldn’t do anyone good if all three of them were caught in Contonio’s hardening receipts. Marinette let Adrien push her into a small closet off to the side. She nearly tripped over a filled mop bucket, dirty water sloshing onto the ground and puddling at an old storm drain. Adrien made some lame excuse about the closet only being big enough for Marinette and Agatha, something that was evidently not true. But Marinette let him get away with it as he dashed back out again.

She turned to the small girl next to her.

“I thought we were protecting the cooks.” She pouted. “Not hiding in a mucky closet.”

“That’s exactly what we’re doing. You stay here and start making space for the others, I’ll run out and tell them they can hide here.”

Agatha pursed her lips and squinted at Marinette. “I don’t like it.” She mumbled. But she obediently began to push the mop bucket to the corner.

Marinette gave one last glance at the young girl and left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

She quickly found two cooks hiding under the prep tables behind a wobbling stack of clean pots and pans. They both startled when she appeared. One was clutching a large soup ladle nearly the size of her head and the other his chef’s knife.

“I need your help! A little girl is hiding in your janitor’s closet and she is very scared but she is trying to be brave. I’m going to go look for her parents—”

“—With an akuma out there? Are you crazy?” The cook with the knife whispered angrily.

“I trust Chat Noir and Ladybug to fix everything. Can you please wait with her?”

The man looked at her feet with shame but didn’t move.

The man with the soup ladle shook his head yes, vehemently, and immediately started to crawl out from his hiding spot.

“Boss, come on. Let’s go help that little girl. You wouldn’t want little Katarina to be alone and have no adult willing to help her.”

The chef slowly nodded his head in affirmation and climbed out with his knife shaking in his outstretched hand. They both made their way back towards the closet where Agatha was waiting.

Marinette waited to hear the closet door shut before turning towards her next task. She had to find something to use as a weapon until she could transform.

Marinette’s eyes darted around the kitchen looking for… there! She seized a frying pan off the stove, dumping out the burnt bacon. She ventured past the closet door and towards the front of the cafe.

Peering cautiously around the corner, she found that the room was empty. Outside the front windows that lined the street, she caught a glimpse of Chat Noir running by dodging the quick-hardening receipts. The room dimmed as the missed receipts blocked the sun filtering through the windows.

Marinette climbed over upturned tables and chairs and clambered over remnants of the battle that began in the small cafe. Setting the frying pan aside, she opened her purse and Tikki rushed out.

“I’m ready!” Tikki volunteered.

“Tikki, spots on!”

**Author's Note:**

> Want to chat with like-minded fans? Share ideas, fics, art, and more? How about participate in fandom events and receive support for your ideas and work?
> 
> Then join the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server](https://discord.com/invite/mlfanworks)!


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